The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-01-13
TOILERS OF THE SEA.
Divers Work Upon the Cargo of
the Steamship Oregon.
How Men Toll at Twenty Fathoms Depth
aud Are Sometimes Paralyzed-The
Condition of the Badly-Shat-
tered vessel-Its Cargos'
Condition.

On the 18th of March, 1886, some
thing poked hole in the bottom of the
steamship Oregon. land she sank to
the bottom of the sea-" about eighteen
miles away from Fire Island Inlet, in
water l2O feet deep. on hard surface
Of coarse sand and gravel. The oc-
eurrence is SO recent that most persons
will remember what an excitement was
occasioned by it. No lives were lost,
out the survivors made the armament
echo with remarks about their trunks,
merchants here and abroad joined in
lamentations over the cargo; the vast
army Of foreign noblemen on this side
Of the water. expecting remlttances,
with singular unanimity bewailed the
loss Of large sums, and got renewed
credit for weeks on the strength of
lheIr misfortune; and the person who
aad not at least lost an important let
ler IN the mails that went down with
q, me oregon was quite out of fashion.
inen speculation ran riot as to the
cause OF the disaster. Witnesses of
me highest credibility were certain that
20 vessel was any where in sight of the
uIegon when she received the shock
mag sent her to the bottom. Other
Witnesses OF equally unquestionable We
.aci'y saw vessels enough to have made a
a,e naval parade. There were those
VINO we're certain that she was sunk by
q explosion in her hold, and Others
sao deemed it beyond question that q
submarine vessel, possibly an Irish
elpedo-boat, had given her the fatal
\; M'us.s The excitement increased un-
.a..si, y alter much delay. the wreckers
sIo,lsned the facts that she had Leen
sauk oy collision with some unknown
.sssei, and that it would be practicable
saVe great deal of her cargo.
~ tusa: . suddenly. the popular interest in
~. - aled away, and though the divers
ness 49, . work on her all summer, little
sss s..c was heard of their progress. and
s.n,ngly little was cared about IL
NAV sa y .ne remittance-expecting noble
,r,s, s, VINO mad meanwhile made other
n.a... - ! =. N. Merritt, Jr., son of
eapn epAln Merritt, of the Coast Wreckino
sapany, by whom the salvage was
dS.sss d'eu, narrating the story of the
dav ''. ..,s nork on the Oregon the other
ssyIr
s,.s.e Me Keep the fires banked in our
r,sSs ss,ag steamers the year around
so,;s. . e 5 start any time, at a moments
d, .s, 80, Ior any point on the coast where
law :. - s,ces !. may be required. So when
tecs;vss sae wreck of the Oregon was
sewssa 49, ana we were called upon. as
j., ssfe = !, immediately, we were off TO
ID H. Il 'ds .ss same day to examine how
Wat s,ase sske soundings. and pick up
Oh Ms,as' Ms'lng cargo and mail we could.
,o,a sao1 s the 18th we started out to
S.s aork. but the weather was sucb
Rs astb SoIla ~ not do any thing until
ax,,s.o oregon lay in twenty fathoms
ae ae;ss., [ There is a popular idea that
spit I.lon =. OF the sea by storms is
H. s =. shallow effect. But il 'Os doesn,t =
III M ,1.'! much Of . storm to make Itself
u u ,s.y :. feet down. where the Oregon oa
aad tSonl ~ DIVERS were fully satisfied.
sat,;Ss ;sSa0agh Is it was possible to see dimly
bid - ue null, the darkness in the
IL ma ~ perfect, SO that the difficnl.
vera auef sa which the divers worked
HE ts0s ssat Nevertheless. it did not not
0esasaae saen long to find out : that hat the the
Ii ya WA Nas very badly shattered ves-
N e.r.n naen she dived to the bottom
4 Is S.ssensd over to the side s on which which
y aose received sosIv her injury. and drove
TVS h.,s ,uown v 30 deep in the sand that
u s s.sld asld there. while the bower Oou rnof Of
n sisss s.s.tb broke her in two close close to +,
sl.nn. .portant in the vessel and
au h hsshnsr nsr down with such force a
*asd n aas.tHt bottom came up and her decks c
aasS.ss0 s0rn z so that her cargo was was
hptsa !, between. Where she was was
isist1a = ~ TWO she had been literal1y sS
IN. and a. L-, =, St4t